The Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary, West Africa’s largest refuge for orphaned chimpanzees, has shut its doors to tourists in protest against escalating deforestation near its borders, a move its founder says is necessary to draw attention to a growing environmental crisis in Sierra Leone.
The sanctuary, nestled in the Western Area Peninsula rainforest outside Freetown, has been closed to visitors for over two months. Its founder, Bala Amarasekaran, says the decision follows increased land grabbing and illegal logging that now directly threaten the protected reserve, home to over 100 rescued chimpanzees.
“Encroachment is coming dangerously close,” Amarasekaran told Reuters. “It’s really threatening the sanctuary’s existence. It’s not safe when people come close to a wildlife preserve like this.”
Since its founding 30 years ago, Tacugama has survived war and epidemics, but Amarasekaran now warns that unchecked deforestation may pose its most serious threat yet.
Data from Global Forest Watch shows Sierra Leone lost about 2.17 million hectares of tree cover between 2001 and 2024, nearly 39% of its forests. The Western Area Peninsula alone lost over 10,000 hectares in that period, as land was cleared for development, often illegally.
Environmental consequences have already proven deadly. A catastrophic mudslide on Mount Sugar Loaf in 2017, which killed an estimated 1,000 people, was attributed to a combination of heavy rains, deforested slopes, and unregulated construction. Experts warned that tree loss had destabilized the soil.
Information Minister Chernor Bah acknowledged the seriousness of the issue, calling deforestation an “existential problem.” While he expressed regret over the sanctuary’s closure, he said the government understood the decision and remains committed to protecting forested areas.
Amarasekaran noted that President Julius Maada Bio’s administration had launched some crackdowns on illegal logging, but said more consistent enforcement is urgently needed. “One raid is not enough,” he added.
The sanctuary’s closure highlights the rising tensions between conservation efforts and Sierra Leone’s accelerating development, as environmental defenders call for more decisive action before it’s too late.
Written By Rodney Mbua
